


We can make this leap

by BrilliantlyHorrid



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Coulson and Skye cuteness, F/M, Fanboy Phil Coulson, Secret Identity Fail, Skye | Daisy Johnson's Superpowers, Ward is an a-hole
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-27
Updated: 2015-06-27
Packaged: 2018-04-06 09:56:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,563
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4217244
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BrilliantlyHorrid/pseuds/BrilliantlyHorrid
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Skye's identity gets outed sooner than planned, and she and Coulson have to make a decision about how to handle it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	We can make this leap

**Author's Note:**

> Just something whirring around in my brain. Inhuman identities/Skye's identity. Her anonymity is such a huge part of her character, so my brain was like "LET'S JUST TAKE THAT AWAY." Jerk brain.

“Then I hope you’ll understand when I say there’s no way that’s going to happen,” Coulson said, anticipating Talbot’s look of disappointment. Not disappointment as an indication he’d drop it (because even Phil knew that was unlikely,) but disappointment that he’d have to continue this discussion.

“Do _you_ understand the position you’re putting me in?” _Brigadier General_ Glen Talbot asked, in a rare face-to-face meeting with the SHIELD director. Considering the circumstances, Phil was under the belief that an in-person discussion would be better than over video conference. Some serious persuasion would be required, and maybe a personal touch would help. He hoped.

“I do, but I also think that you need to consider the ramifications of what you’re talking about,” Coulson said smoothly. He was putting up a pretty convincing front of confidence, but inside he felt uneasy. He and Talbot had been able to compromise before, under pretty dire situations. But goddamn Ward. He’d forced their hand.

“You want to talk ramifications? Turn on the news, Coulson.”

He didn’t have to. He’d seen it.

***

_“Residents of a quiet Massachusetts town were given quite a scare today when an unidentified woman--”_

Click.

_“I couldn’t believe it, she just threw them like, 50 feet with her mind or something, it was--”_

Click.

_“The suspect seen in the video appears to be an Asian female, approximately 20-25. It is unknown at this time if she is working alone or--”_

“Well, they got your age wrong, didn’t they?”

Skye clicked the television off, turning to look at Bobbi. The blond woman smiled, shrugging. “If we want to be stereotypes we can talk about how later you’ll be grateful for your youthful looks.” Skye tried to return the smile, but knew she had failed.

“Small miracles, right?” she sighed, turning fully away from the TV, pulling her knees up on the couch. “This is _nothing_ compared to the stuff online. I should know better than anyone at this point, to never read the comments, but…” She cracked her neck, annoyed. “I can’t decide what’s worse, the people calling me a demon that needs to be put down or my new ‘fans’ who have gotten creative with photoshop.” Bobbi grimaced, and Skye knew she need not explain further.

“It sounds like they still don’t understand how your powers work, but I’m not sure if that’s a good thing or not.” She sat next to Skye on the couch, and Skye noticed she had been holding a six pack. Taking the beer Bobbi offered, Skye shrugged.

“Honestly, right now it’s probably not good. I mean, the idea of telekinesis or whatever probably doesn’t sit well with people, but if they found out I can basically create natural disasters?” She took a big sip. “Not sure which is preferable. Especially if they think I’m working alone, or with Hydra or whoever.” The idea nauseated her, being seen as evil or dangerous when all she had done was try to stop the _actual_ villain.

“What if they knew you were a SHIELD agent?” Bobbi asked, an eyebrow raised. Skye shook her head. Bobbi knew better.

“SHIELD is still on thin ice,” she muttered, peeling the label from her bottle. “Even now, after Coulson’s helicarrier that ending up saving basically everyone. They find out SHIELD is working with a powered person?” Skye raised an eyebrow herself. “You worked with Gonzales. You know how some people feel about that."

Bobbi conceded the point with a nod. “The Avengers have powered people, they seem to be doing okay with the public right now.”

“The Avengers are Tony Stark, who almost destroyed the world, but used technology _he_ created. Hawkeye and Black Widow are humans, the Hulk was the result of a lab accident, and then we have  _Captain America_.” she took another sip. “They’re all special circumstances, rare. I go out there, and the whole world finds out that there could be more people like me. There _are_ more people like me, who knows how many?” She placed her bottle on the table, wondering if maybe she drank too fast, when Bobbi handed her another one. She appreciated the gesture, and the silent reassurance that, yeah, it was a good moment to indulge a little. She’d earned it.

“After all we’ve been doing to keep these people safe, I can’t just open them up to exposure,” she mused. After a few months getting things running, she and Coulson had opened up to the team about their Caterpillars project. It had been going well, barring one or two annoyed/angry “caterpillars,” and they had just gained the confidence in the project to let the others know.

_Then this._

“Why expose you?” Bobbi asked, looking at the black TV screen. “Ward’s not ‘in love’ with you anymore?” Her finger quotes added levity, but Skye could see that the idea of Ward being out there still disturbed Bobbi greatly. She was strong, and would be happy to take him out, but her experience and the threat he posed to the people she cared about had even her a bit shaken.

“I think it’s some sort of payback,” Skye said, elaborating at Bobbi’s curious face. “When I found out he was a Hydra psycho I put out an APB, basically sicced every cop in LA on him.” She took a sip of her second beer, beginning to feel it go to her head. It was kind of nice. “So now, thanks to his little tip, I’m famous.” She smiled at Bobbi, bright with sarcasm. “What a guy, right?”

Bobbi cracked open her second beer.

***

“All we ask is that you let us run a few tests, then we can inform the public that the situation is under control,” Talbot said, but Phil had already been shaking his head.

“These people have been experimented on, tortured, by Hydra. They’ve been deceived into believing they were with SHIELD, in good hands. You want to run tests? Keep 'the situation' under control? They turn on their TV and see Skye go with you and disappear. They lose any trust they had in SHIELD.”

There was also the little matter of Skye _never going with them_ in the first place, but Coulson knew from experience that wouldn’t be his best hand. “We have our own scientists, good ones, who have been keeping up with Skye’s changes since their inception.”

Talbot sighed. “You share that information with us, _all of it_ , and we can dispense with any testing. But, someone needs to say something. We can’t just ignore this, someone needs to take responsibility for her and this whole mess.”

“And I can safely assume that won’t be the US military?” Coulson asked, a small smile quirking his lips.

“Absolutely not.”

Coulson sighed, tapping the fingers of his prosthetic against the table. It was strange, felt similar but just different enough from his actual hand. Oddly enough it helped him focus more; keep things in perspective.

“Let me talk to Skye.”

He could have sworn he saw Talbot roll his eyes.

***

“Nervous?” Coulson asked, and Skye shook her head. And her shoulders. Then down her arms, until just her hands were waving at her sides. Surprising even himself, he reached down and grabbed one. “You’ll be fine,” he told her, when her face shot up to look at him.

Skye nodded, seeming to steel herself. “Yeah, totally. Just giving a totally normal, not at all terrifying press conference in front of basically the entire country.” She tilted her neck to the side, causing what he assumed was a satisfying crack. “Alone,” she added, and he held back a wince.

“You know I would be up there with you if I could,” he told her honestly, noticing he was still holding her hand. He left it.

“I do,” she said, and he believed her, which made him feel better. But just slightly. He really did want to be there with her, either to hold her hand, (which, new development, but seemed consistent enough that he didn’t really question it,) or just stand by her side, but he couldn’t. There were still people out there, Audrey included, who thought he was dead. And if he did ever plan on letting them know he was alive, it would not be standing in the background of what would likely be the most highly watched televised event of the year.

“I’ll be right outside in the surveillance van,” he told her, moving his other hand up to rest on her shoulder. Skye nodded, exhaling shakily, resting her hand on top of his and squeezing. _Like she’s comforting me_.

That could actually be what was happening, considering Phil himself was, to put it lightly, “a wreck.”

This was big. He had made a point not to ask Skye to do it, that she only had to if she wanted to and thought it was for the best.

 _‘Ward wants to expose me, I might as well use it to our advantage, right?’_ She’d said, pacing in front of his desk. _‘Other Inhumans out there, the ones we haven’t been able to find, they’ll see my face, know they have an ally.’_

Coulson had agreed, but made sure it was Skye’s choice to do it, that she didn’t feel obligated either to SHIELD or the government. She’d smirked. _‘I mean, maybe it’s a little sooner than I’d planned, but I don’t know. As long as_ they _can stay anonymous?’_

That had been the biggest concern for the two of them, since the success of the Caterpillars project had hinged on anonymity and secrecy for those involved. But as they waited for the address to start (and the favor he had called in,) Phil was beginning to wonder.

“You’re sure you want to do this?” He asked, and Skye looked up at him, surprised.

“You know I do,” she said a bit defiantly, probably (rightfully) annoyed he seemed to be expressing his doubts now.

“Right, right,” Coulson said, sighing. To his surprise, Skye looked amused. “What?”

“Nothing,” she said, raising an eyebrow. “You look like you’re going to be sick. You’re like, actually green.”

“Like Mr. Cincinnati?” He asked, and Skye laughed. The young man they had encountered in Cincinnati was the first one they'd met whose transformation was a result of the fish oil supplements ( _Really?_ Skye had asked, stunned. _Like, really?_ Phil was in agreement.)

His transformation had turned him green, but considering that the only other major alteration was in his muscle definition (which, from photos, he appeared to be working on quite a bit already,) the change did _nothing_ to diminish his confidence.

“Maybe, let me see,” she said, before squeezing his bicep. Coulson pulled away, as if burned.

“That’s not fair, you didn’t give me warning,” he whined, being a bit dramatic. Skye held up her hands in apology. It was a nice moment, if bruising to his ego, but it ended when she looked at her watch.

“I just…” Skye pursed her lips, looking down at her feet. Not wanting to interrupt, Coulson put his hands in his pockets and waited. “So much of who I am has been based around being anonymous, a ghost. _Skye of the Rising Tide, Skye the SHIELD agent_. Sneaking around, _working in the shadows_ ,” she said, smiling a bit. The smile faded. “That’s just going to be really weird to give up.”

Coulson nodded. “I want to tell you that you don’t have to,” he admitted, swallowing heavily when Skye’s eyes seemed to soften. He looked over her shoulder instead. “All I can really say is don’t feel like you need to give them everything. What you decide to keep for yourself, that’s yours.”

Now, Phil felt, was usually the time they would hug. It was strange, since in the old days they would sneak up on him. Even when he initiated the hug, it would still somehow surprise him. But lately it was almost obligatory. That wasn’t to say they didn’t mean something, but he suspected that maybe they had begun to _mean something very specific_. Maybe something both of them had yet to verbalize.

But now wasn’t the time for a hug, standing in a conference room in DC, about to do something that would change both of their lives, _especially hers_ , forever. Skye seemed to understand this as well, placing a hand on his arm instead. It was when her other hand moved to his face that Coulson began to understand, and although a part of him panicked, the sensible part simply stepped closer, placing a hand firmly on her hip.

They held that position for a moment, both suddenly unsure of themselves. This was a big deal, right? But it was Skye, Phil reminded himself, looking her in the eyes, seeing a warmth there that was new, but also very familiar. It was just him and Skye, like always.

Just slightly different.

“I like your suit,” he murmured, running his thumb over the rich material. He’d helped her pick it out, of course. They were kind of his thing, so there wasn’t anyone on the Playground more qualified when Skye declared she needed a professional outfit for the occasion. Jokingly she’d asked if she should get a tie as well, but the navy pantsuit and crisp white shirt were all she needed to look the part.

(Plus Skye wearing a tie would probably cause some sort of malfunction in his brain, so Coulson pronounced her outfit complete.)

“Thanks,” Skye said quietly, her face suddenly very close to his own. He could just feel her warm breath on his lips when a knock on the door caused them both to pull away. Skye frowned, looking at her watch. “Is that…?” They still had at least five minutes until she was supposed to leave the room.

Coulson snapped to attention, remembering his “favor.” Sure, they could have used just a few more minutes, but he had a feeling the support would be appreciated.

“Coulson, what’s--” Skye asked as he moved to the door, turning back to give her a quick, goofy smile as he opened it.

“Captain Rogers,” Coulson greeted, stepping back from the door so Captain America could walk in. “Thank you for coming today.” Cap nodded at Coulson (they’d had their chat earlier, and he seemed happy enough to learn that Coulson was alive. And helping to save lives,) before walking over to Skye.

Who was gaping.

Phil tried to keep the satisfied smile from his face, but probably failed miserably. Rogers introduced himself to Skye, (“Steve,” he corrected,) shaking her hand.

“Captain Rogers won’t be speaking today, just lending some support,” Coulson told Skye, watching her eyes widen. Because if the Director himself couldn’t be up there with her, he made damn sure to have the best possible alternate.

Maybe he was showing off a bit too. Not to Skye, but to the rest of the world. They may not have known Phil Coulson was Director of SHIELD, but they’d know who was on SHIELD’s side. It hadn’t been too hard a sell, the most difficult part being Coulson’s own reappearance. After hearing about the preliminary success of Project Caterpillar and seeing the respect they’d shown the subjects, Rogers had agreed to a supporting role in the conference.

As Skye introduced herself quietly, another knock on the door signaled it was time to go. Taking a deep breath, Skye walked over to Coulson.

“Ready?” He asked, and she cleared her throat. “You’ll be fine once you get started, it only gets easier,” he reminded her. “What’s your opener?”

“ _I’m Agent Skye, with the Strategic_ \--” she paused, wrinkling her brow.

“Just say ‘SHIELD,’” Coulson reminded her kindly, remembering how she’d struggled with the full name in their rehearsals. “Everyone will know what you mean.” She nodded, breathing in deeply through her nose. It was _that time_ again, but instead of going in for a hug Phil placed a hand on her shoulder and leaned in, kissing her briefly on the lips.

The normalcy of the moment was surprising to both of them it seemed, because despite being _extremely_ happy, it didn’t rock the very foundations of his life like one might have expected. While Skye’s eyes were wide, her lips curved into a smile. Just like he had thought before, more than anything _this_ felt like a continuation of their relationship, not a curveball.

“I’ll see you when you’re done,” he told her, and Skye nodded. Moving to the door Coulson opened it, gesturing for Skye and Rogers to walk through. “Captain Rogers,” the Director acknowledged, and the Avenger nodded back. If Coulson had to put a name to the emotion on the other man’s face, it would probably confusion, with just a hint of discomfort. But he wasn’t sure if that was because of the parties involved or the PDA, so he just smiled pleasantly and closed the door behind them.

It was showtime.

***

“That was...interesting,” Captain America told Skye as they walked down the hall. “Agent Coulson didn’t mention you two were…” Skye shrugged.

“New development,” she answered simply, and he nodded.

“Well, then I’m sorry to have intruded.” His voice was sincere, but when she looked over Skye could see a small smirk on the man’s face.

“Oh don’t be, I’m sure he’s thrilled you were there for it,” Skye said, smiling broadly, and Steve shook his head and sighed.

“Ready, soldier?” He asked, standing outside the door.

 _Here we go._ Skye nodded, and together they walked in. The door led right to the stage, so they didn’t have to walk through a crowd, but the shouts and camera flashes were already fairly overwhelming. Through the walk though, Skye realized one of the other benefits of having Captain Freaking America with her: for all she knew, all of this was for him. Everyone could be getting pictures of him, or trying to catch his attention, not calling her a freak or asking her whether or not she planned on using her powers to take over the world.

Reaching the podium, Skye listened to the voices begin to die down. She breathed in, calming herself. All of these people were waiting to listen to her, and there were countless more watching over the television, or streaming online. All waiting to find out who she was.

“Good afternoon, I’m Agent--”

_Don’t feel like you need to give them everything._

“Daisy Johnson.” She relaxed her shoulders, staring into the camera. “With the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division.”

_He’s going to love that._

Getting into her speech, Skye realized that Coulson was right. Once she got started, it was easy. Not just because she had to focus on speaking instead of watching everyone watch her, but she truly believed in what she was saying. After giving the barest possible explanation of the origins of her abilities, and a brief rundown of what she could do, Skye outlined everything she and Coulson had discussed: her loyalty to SHIELD and the United States (‘ _I know it feels silly, but they’ll love you if you say it and fear you if you don’t,_ ’ he told her bluntly.) Her desire to protect people. Her eagerness to cooperate with and assist the Avengers if called upon to do so. SHIELD’s agreement to work with General Talbot, and use his advisement when it was given.

It was all very basic stuff, mostly referring to SHIELD and their current state in the general public’s opinion. Essentially: people didn’t know what to think. So she just had to reaffirm SHIELD’s position as the Good Guys, whether people believed them or not.

Then came the hardest part.

“I know that there are people who saw the things I can do and were afraid. I definitely was, at first. Change can be terrifying. But all I ask is that you try to understand that all I want to do is help people, and keep them safe. And my abilities have helped me do that, SHIELD has helped me do that. I’m not a monster, or a demon or an alien or any of that, I’m just different. Very different, I guess,” she muttered a bit, and actually heard a couple quiet laughs. She hoped Fitz was watching. Well, he most certainly was, but she hoped he understood her little “shout out,” and how much his words had helped her.

Part of her wondered if Cal was watching, from his vet clinic, if he recognized her as that girl who stopped by when he first opened up shop.

She looked up at the camera again.

“If you’re different, if something happened to you that you can’t explain, please know that you’re okay. You’ll be okay, and your life doesn’t have to change completely. Some parts of it might, but there’s no reason you and your family can’t live normal, happy lives. This doesn’t have to define you.” Thinking back to all of the people she’d seen so far, their fears, so similar to her own, but also different, Skye kept going. “I’m not asking you to report yourself, or shout from the rooftops what you can do. But there could come a time when you need help, when you’re worried that you could hurt yourself or others. So all I ask is that you let me, let _us_ help you. You can trust us. I know more than anyone that trusting others isn’t easy.” Skye swallowed heavily, fiddling with her notes. She had gone off book a bit.

“We’re not looking to interrogate you, imprison you or experiment on you. I would never do that, and SHIELD would never do that. If you want to better understand your powers, and work on ways to control them, we can do that. You may just want to talk, and we can do that too. And I promise, you won’t be asked to suit up and join the Avengers either. Believe me, I’ve been waiting and nothing." Again, laughs were scarce, but they existed. Next to her she thought she saw Captain America roll his eyes.

Some of the Inhumans she met were curious, wondering about how she’d used her powers to fight Hydra and other enemies. They expressed an interest in fighting alongside her one day. Most, however, really did just want to be left alone, and she and Coulson had respected that. But she still gave them her number.

Giving her obligatory neutral closing statement, Skye stepped away from the podium. Her nerves were alight once again, the adrenaline finally beginning to take effect as the voices and questions kicked in. Taking Steve’s hand as he helped her down the couple steps to the stage, Skye could feel her knees begin to shake. If possible, there seemed to be even more camera flashes as she left, but her head was in such a buzz it was hard to tell.

The doors finally closed behind them as they walked down the hall, off to wait in another conference room before making a (hopefully) discreet exit. Skye sighed in relief as they rounded a corner and came face to face with May and Hunter.

“How’d it go?” She asked them, as if she had missed it.

“Good, I thought,” Hunter said, eyeing her weirdly. He looked amused, so it was either really good or really bad. “Crowd didn’t seem too aggressive or frightened, which are my least favorite traits of an angry mob. Honestly, they’ll probably all be talking about your exit, really. Going to be all over the tabloids tomorrow.”

Skye tilted her head, confused. Had she said something wrong? Did she use her powers by accident, or maybe mouth out a few of the curse words running through her head?

“You’re fine,” May told her, flat but reassuring. But then, a raised eyebrow. “But they’ll probably be wondering why you left holding Captain America’s hand.”

Skye looked down. Sure enough, she had forgotten to let go.

“Huh.” She looked up at Steve. “Sorry about that.”

***

Leaning back in his seat, Coulson sighed in relief. It was done. He ran a hand over his face, a bit embarrassed about how nervous he’d been. She was marvelous, obviously.

“Okayyy that’s interesting,” Fitz muttered next to him, and Coulson looked at the screen. It looked like Skye and Rogers were _holding hands?_

“Well that’s rude,” he muttered, not really caring but amused by the idea.

“Sorry, I just meant-- he was helping her down the stairs, I don’t think they-- I wasn’t implying anything, Sir--”

“Fitz, I’m joking.”

“You’re…?” The scientist looked baffled, trying to catch Mack’s eye contact, like they were being pranked.

“I make jokes,” Coulson said defensively, as Mack looked away shrugging. “I do.”  

“Sure you do,” Mack replied, leaning over to look at the screen himself. “Looks like they’re wrapping up, you want to go meet up with Shakes and escort her out? We’ll get back to the Playground.”

“Yeah, I’ll do that,” Coulson stood up, buttoning his jacket. “The nickname could use some work,” he told Mack, who waved in acknowledgement as he climbed into the drivers’ seat.

After passing through the security entrance, Coulson made his way down the hall.

_‘I’m Agent Daisy Johnson--’_

That had thrown him, but he was happy that Skye was able to find a way to keep some of herself for, well, herself. She had a secret identity, in a way, except the typical secret part was now blown right open. Mack was right though, she still needed a superhero name. _And we should probably come up with one before the public does._ Maybe it wasn’t the worst place to get names; Iron Man and Hooded Hero were kind of great, if cheesy/factually inaccurate. But if Skye woke up one morning branded “Earthquake Girl” or something vulgar (they’d strategically left the word ‘vibrations’ out of all explanations of her powers,) she’d probably break something.

“That went well I thought,” Coulson said, walking into the conference room. The occupants of the room looked up, and Skye smiled.

“Yeah?” She asked, standing up from her seat. She’d already taken her hair out of its bun and removed her jacket. Coulson had a bizarre vision of the two of them sitting in a DC bar, unwinding after a long day at work. It wasn’t unwelcome.

“Yeah,” he confirmed, looking over to May and Hunter. “Ready to scout out our escape?” The two nodded, walking to the door. May rested her hand on Skye’s shoulder, telling her she did a good job, before leaving the room. Hunter hesitated, finally patting her on the head and mumbling ‘Nice work,’ following May out the door.

“So,” Skye said, facing Coulson. They had a lot to talk about.

***

They had _a lot_ to talk about.

Maybe. It seemed pretty straightforward, but Skye decided she might try out being cautious for a change.

“So,” Coulson replied, shoving his hands in his pockets. Skye smiled, then looked down at her buzzing phone on the table. She was getting news story screen grabs from Jemma. And Bobbi, and Fitz. “Well, on the plus side, it looks like the response is good. Or at least, not overwhelmingly bad.” Coulson nodded, unsurprised it seemed. “But it also looks like people think I might be dating Captain America.” She looked over at Steve. “Sorry about that.” He shrugged, nothing either of them could really do at the moment anyway she supposed.

“You could do worse,” Coulson said casually, looking down at his shoes, then up at her.

_Oh, come on._

“Probably,” she responded, grinning as the smile crept up on his face. Captain America cleared his throat.

“Do you need me to escort you out of the building?” He definitely looked uncomfortable.

Skye almost felt bad, but he was a grown up, and it’s not like they were making out on top of the conference table, _Which...Yeah we should probably get going._

“I think we’re good,” Coulson said, looking over to Skye for confirmation. She nodded eagerly. “But if you want to scout out ahead…” He trailed off, and Cap took the hint, reaching out to shake his hand. “Thank you for doing this,” Coulson said sincerely, and Steve nodded.

“Happy to help, we’ll have to have another conversation about this project. It sounds like something I might want to look into.” He moved to shake Skye’s hand as well.

“Yeah, that would be awesome. I mean, right now we’re keeping it pretty, you know, private, but down the road…” She smiled. “You’re probably going to want us on your side. Just saying.” Steve quirked a grin back at her, heading to the door.

“I’m quaking in my boots,” he joked. For some reason, Coulson perked up at that.

 _Probably thrilled to see me intimidating an Avenger,_ she mused, mostly joking. Said Avenger left, leaving the two of them alone again, same room. It was almost deja vu, like they had never left, like the last hour or so was a dream sequence, like when you dream you woke up and went to school but then actually woke up and had to do it all over again.

She hoped not. That speech was a doozy.

 _There are some things I would not mind repeating, though_. Putting her own hands in her pockets, she walked over to Coulson. “So,” she began, again. “You totally kissed me. Before a press conference. In front of Captain America. That happened.”

“It did,” Coulson agreed, a small smile on his face.

“Well, he’s gone now, but do you still--”

“Yes.”

Skye laughed, then wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing him soundly. She felt one of Coulson’s hands on her hip, and the other move to tangle in her hair. Things were getting pretty heavy, and she was contemplating locking the door when Coulson pulled away.

“Do you want to get a drink?”

Skye looked up at him incredulous. “A drink.”

“Yes,” he said, smirking a bit. “With me.”

“Like, now?” Skye liked to think she was patient. In some scenarios. This was not one of them. _Also, where?_

“There are some bars around here, I think. Not too far.” He said, as if reading her mind.

“Hey, yeah, so I’m not sure if you know this, but I kind of just made a big speech?” She raised her eyebrows.

“Oh yeah?”

“Mmhmm, I’m pretty important,” Skye said, tossing her hair back. Coulson’s eyes got that little twinkly look they got sometimes, and she found herself twisting her hands into his lapels a bit.

“You know, now that you mention it…” He trailed off, looking at her carefully. “You do look familiar.” He leaned in again, pressing a kiss to her lips before pulling away just slightly. “You said your name was ‘Daisy?’’

Skye rolled her eyes. “My friends call me Skye,” she whispered, getting a chuckle from him.

“And you work for…”

“SHIELD,” Skye responded innocently, and _he actually pouted_. She sighed. “Fine, fine. I work for the Strategic Homeland Interv--mph!” For someone who was so eager for her to say the full title, he seemed to be fine with just getting the first part before attacking her lips again, but Skye couldn’t say she minded. “Thought you’d like that,” she murmured afterward, Coulson nodded quickly.

“Oh, I have an idea,” he said, pausing briefly as Skye pulled him toward her by the tie. “For a name. A code name.” Intrigued, but not enough that it stopped her from hopping backwards onto the conference table, Skye tilted her head.

“Another one?”

“Your superhero name,” Coulson murmured, and Skye almost laughed at how dorky he sounded until he pressed his lips under her ear. At that point, she just made some embarrassing noise and hoped he was too distracted to notice “Cap gave me an idea.”

Skye groaned. “Okay, Captain America is literally the only other person you’re allowed to bring up in these situations,” she retorted. "And even then..." Skye pulled him up by the back of the neck to kiss her again. She was seriously wondering about the lock on the door when, lo and behold, it opened.

“Oh, well that’s--thems the breaks I’m afraid.” Hunter’s voice pulled Coulson’s attention away, and the two of them looked over to see not only Hunter, but Steve Rogers himself as well. “Bit insensitive of you two, isn’t it? Now what is he going to tell all his superfriends when they see--”

“Are you two coming back to the base or not?” May cut in between the two men standing in the doorway, looking mostly unfazed, if annoyed by the inconvenience. Certainly not bothered by the close proximity between Skye and Coulson.

It was only fair, Skye thought, considering how many times she’d caught May and Andrew around the base. And May never even looked embarrassed, just apparently irritated by the interruption.

_I can relate._

“We’ll head back,” Coulson responded pleasantly, which was either enough for May or she was hoping to get to the plane fast enough to ditch them, because she left. As Coulson held out a hand to help Skye hop back on the floor, Hunter put a hand on Captain America’s arm.

“Really sorry about that, Captain. Let me tell you a story about my ex-wife…” Steve pulled back, looking baffled.

“I’m sorry son, who are you?”


End file.
